Patrick came to visit for Spring Break last week! It was my first time to see him since I was in Japan last May. That’s almost 10 months! I got most of my work done before he came on Thursday and he stayed through this past Tuesday. That’s 5 whole days! Thursday after he arrived, we went to the Dekalb International Farmer’s Market to stock up, then came home and made this red curry for dinner. We adapted it from my favorite recipe source, Real Simple Magazine.

Red vegetable curry with tofu

Ingredients

• Rice (we used quick cooking rice-in-a-bag)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 4 carrots, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the carrots, onion, bell peppers, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in the curry paste.
4. Add the broth and coconut milk to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve with the rice.

It was a really delicious curry, fairly mild in spice. I could have added an extra tablespoon of the curry paste to kick it up a notch. But if you are not a spicy food fan, you’d love this. The only thing you folks might have trouble finding is curry paste in the normal grocery store… I don’t know though, I’ve never looked.

Friday night we went to the Fox Theatre to see Billy Elliot – a great show with a great story about a boy who learns to dance. Really heartwarming. Because Patrick’s friend’s friend was in the cast, we got a backstage tour after the show. A perk of being related to someone in showbiz! I hadn’t been to the Fox before. It’s gorgeous.

Also while he was here, we ate and cooked some other good dinners, visited with friends, took lots of walks/runs outside (the weather was like May in March), relaxed, shared music, watched movies and just generally enjoyed catching up and being together.

Picnicking one beautiful day on campus

Out for St. Patrick’s Day with a Patrick! Love him.

Patrick’s next move, now that he is back from Japan and once he has a couple of months to regroup at home, is to get on a cruise ship to sing. He’ll be in the Mediterranean during the summer and the Caribbean in the winter. Rough life, eh? I’m proud of him and glad he got to visit!